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YEAR OF THE TIGER

TEMPLE TO SIVA

The Kumaon is Siva country, and every town has a temple on a nearby hilltop. The locals climb up to express their devotion, and leave bells as a sign of their visits. Siva is represented by a phallic symbol called a lingam. He carries a trident, has a third eye in the middle of his forehead, lives on mountain tops, and partakes of the local herbal products. Siva is also the deity revered by the Indian ascetic holy men known as sadhus.

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